Stress Management
by water-doragon
Summary: Stress can be a dangerous illness that, especially for Guardians, can do strange and magical things.
1. Prologue

**Title:** Stress Management

**Pairing:** Tooth/Jack {Rainbow Snowcone/Frostbite}

**Rating:** T (for Truthfully, I'm not 100% sure what the rating should be but we'll but 'T' for safety)

**Summary:** Stress can be a dangerous illness that, especially for Guardians, can do strange and magical things.

**Prologue**

It was now about six months after the defeat of Pitch Black, the boogeyman, the Nightmare King. Six months since Jack Frost had officially joined the ranks of the Guardians of Childhood. Six busy and exhausted months since Toothianna, otherwise known as the Tooth fairy, or, as Tooth to most immortals, had a moment to spare to see her fellow Guardians.

Once Pitch had fallen and the children's belief was revived around the world it was time for the Guardians to set everything back to normal and clean up the disastrous mess the Nightmare King had left in his wake. The largest mess, of course, was returning and re-organizing all the stolen baby teeth containers to their rightful places. The other Guardians offered their assistance immediately, but the Fairy Queen, with her usual sweet and soft smile, had turned them all down. Organizing, rearranging and reorganizing the Tooth Containers was a rather large job, yes, but Toothianna felt better if she and her little ones were the ones were did it all. That way they would know once again where every last molar, premolars, canine and incisors was held. An unorganized business was no business at all and the Tooth Fairy could have none of that! Call it OCD or whatever, but it had to be done right and she knew that she was the only one that could do it right.

Begrudgingly her friends eventually accepted this. As much as she wished she could accept their help, especially from North and his massive army of Yetis, she knew that deep down she had to be the one to do this. Anyways, the others had their own areas to clean up as well. Bunnymund has his entire warren to clean up after the massacre of all his easter eggs from that horrific sunday morning. Sandman had to work extra hard to make sure all the children were having amazing dreams to make up for Pitch's take-over. Plus he wanted to make sure the belief in the other Guardians were strong; stronger than before, even. North had stated earlier that he wanted to make sure that this years Christmas was an extra special one for the children; to make up for the near disaster that year so, of course, he needed to put all his effort into that mission. And Jack, well, since he was now a offical Guardian, the young Winter Spirit really wanted to make sure that he delivered as many snow days as possible to every and any place he could reach. Everyone was terribly busy, so really, Tooth did not want to bother them with such a silly little task as her own. She could handle it! No problem!

Well, that's what she thought until the influx happened. What is an influx, you may ask? It only happens every century or so, but sometimes it was like every child in the would loose a tooth or two at the same time! It made her job terribly busy and quite hectic. Toothianna began to stretch herself thin, not wanting to disturb the others with her silly little problems such as tooth collecting. She knew they were capable in helping, they had proven that before, but a little voice inside her told her that she could handle this on her own. She was the Fairy Queen Toothianna; a fierce warrior and a caring leader! She could handle anything!

Again, that was what she thought...

Stress can be a dangerous illness that, especially for Guardians, can do strange and magical things.

_Toothianna winced, dropping her ever reliable clipboard to the ground with a sudden 'thud'. All her mini-fairies stopped what they were doing and turned to her, leaving only the soft hum of there wings to fill the air._

_Toothianna, not wanting to upset her mini selves in the slightest, although knowing that was next to impossible, looked up at them with a small, pained smile. "It's alright girls! Back to work!" She paused, her face only momentarily giving her away to the others about the pain she currently felt. "I… I just need a moment! Please, carry on!" She gave them one last smile, trying her hardest to steel herself from the pain that seemed to ravish her straight from her core._

_She slowly lowered herself to the ground, allowing her tiny and often unused feet to touch the ground. She grabbed her clipboard and without much of a look at the small hoard of mini-fairies that hovered beside her, she handed it off. She could faintly hear her mini-fairies chirping their concerns for their queen as she left, her mind now beginning to grow numb due to the pain. She did not dare to look up at them, or even fly. Tooth had only one destination in mind at that point: her room. Once she got there she knew that she would be alright. In there she would be able to strengthen herself against this pain, and be able to do it in solitude._

_There was two things the Queen of the Fairies did not notice as she made her slow journey to her room. One: the mini-fairie that was now refered to as Baby Tooth, who was always at her Queens' side, was gone. And two: Toothianna's usual bright and colourful feathers were beginning to fall out at a shocking rate_

A/N: Wow... it has been YEARS since I've sat down and written like that! It felt so... so amazing! So invigorating! I remember sitting down for hours after school and just writting until I couldn't stand sitting for much longer! ...What happened? Why did I stop? (Life? Growing up?)

Well, anyways, enough about me! What did you guys think? I don't mind constuctive criticisms! I want to improve!

Now, I must state this: the story isn't going to be written like this always. I plan to have it be more lighter and fluffier for those Rainbow Snowcone fans out there! Just, y'know, a prologue has to get the reader set up for the story. Hopefully it was catchy enough, though!

Thank you for reading!

~KeruTheBlue/ Water-Doragon


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Before we start off I just want to state this: This is not going to be an every day thing! I will probably not post a chapter every day! I just... I just couldn't stop myself! Anyways, this was originally going to be apart of the prologue but I decided to shift this part over to the first chapter. :)**  
**Anyways! I hope you guys enjoy this!**

Nicholas St. North was standing at the top floor of his ever busy work shop. His back was towards the large rotating globe that glowed with many sparkling lights, each representing a child of the world that still believed. The man, sometimes known as Santa Clause, at this time was beginning to get annoyed. He had reduced his usual wish to call meetings - ones he thought were very, very important to his Guardians - for a time due to the request of the Tooth Fairy. She had wanted more time to organize her work place and really, he understood that. He was just still a bit peeved that she had flat-out refused his, his Yetis, and everyone else's help. Tooth was a sweet and caring girl, always putting others before herself, but he knew that if she continued with this path she would sooner or later wear herself out.

But that was not the main reason he felt so irked! Like it was said before, he had, as promised, held off on calling any important meetings for six months. Six whole months! Usually they held one at least once a month! And finally today was the day he was allowed to call an assembly! He had many important things to talk about with his fellow Guardians that he had booked the whole day off for them just so they could take their time since six months was a lot to catch up on! He was a very considerate man for doing that, he thought.

The day light had begun to burn and everyone was here. Even Jack Frost, the one person who he was sure to be late, was here and on time to boot! The older man 'har-umphed', turning from the ever-burning fireplace to look at the others. Bunnymund was leaning against one of the pillars, carving a small stick with a knife North hardly ever see him use. Jack was, surprisingly, minding his own business, leaning over the banister as he watched the seemingly chaotic yet rather organized work shop below. North had remembered that he had said he had tried to break into his workshop before with no avail, due to his diligent Yetis. Now when the winter spirit was in his workshop he spent half his time just watching the Yetis, and sometimes even the bizarre elves, at work.

He was just starting to feel a little happy, lost in his own fantasies about showing the young winter spirit around his place of work again, showing him the magic that he was so proud of, when a small tug at his pant leg brought him back down to reality. It was the Sandman, or Sandy for short. The master of dreams stared up at him, floating an inch or so from the ground. Above his head sand images began to appear. One was a clock, showing the time just after 3 o'clock, the second one was a tooth, and finally, the third, was a rather large question mark.  
North instantly understood what he asked, his bushy brows furrowing in his dismay.

"I do not know, Sandy!" He exclaimed in his thick Russian accent, startling the other Guardians. "I have given her the time she has requested, and now she is late!" Father Christmas huffed, crossing his arms over his large belly, now acting much like a child that hadn't gotten their way.

"Y'know," Bunnymund piped up after a moment, putting away his knife. "It really isn't like Tooth to be late like this... More often than not she's the one badgering us about being late."

"You make good point, Bunny." North frowned, slowly unfolding and re-folding his large, tattooed arms. This was not something he had thought about.

Sandy floated forward then, his dreams sand creating more images, making up for his lack of speech. The question was a simple one, though complicated to form in images.

"Has anyone seen Tooth in the last six months?" It was Jack Frost who aired this question out loud, his brow creasing as he tried to understand the images that popped over the Sandman's head. He still wasn't very good at figuring them out half the time so he had to rely on repeating them to make sure that he understood. Sandy gave him a small nod, his brows knitted with worry.

The winter spirit's eyes widen in response, "Has anyone seen tooth in the last six months?!" He asked again, slight panic creeping in on his voice. He had been too busy to visit the fairy, trying his hardest during the time to make as many snow days as he could where ever he could find a place at least remotely cold enough. He was determined not to let himself become invisible again, although he was only now visible to a select few believers. That was what his mission had been for the last six months and it had pretty much consumed him night and day. He was pretty sure he only saw the Sandman during those last six months, and at one time North who was just there to check up on him and make sure he was getting enough rest.

The two other Guardians eyes widen as well as they went over their respected thoughts, trying to see if they had seen their only female Guardian during that time. Silence filled the room with a heavy aura; so thick that a butter knife could slice through it.

"TO THE SLEIGH!" North commanded, breaking the other's thoughts as he charged forward towards the elevators that would take him to his destination. He heart raced in his barrel like chest, his mind going just as fast. What if? What if? What if - ?!

_What if he was over reacting?_

North suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, eyes trained to the floor. He barely felt or heard the small 'umph!' behind him as Jack Frost had begun to follow him immediately. He was about to open his mouth, his ever busy mind still racing when a little chirp echoed through the room, catching all of their attentions.

Baby Tooth zoomed into the lodging, her mismatched eyes wide with panic. She zipped over to North, chirped loudly, and before the old Guardian could say anything, zipped away to chirp as loudly as she could muster at the other Guardians.

It took some time for them to calm down the mini-fairy. Jack had to practically catch her before his cool hands could calm her down enough to let her speak in her tiny bird like language.

"Baby Tooth," Jack breathed, stroking her as calmly as he could, try to hide his own fear. "Okay, little one. Start from the top. What's going on and where is Tooth?" He gave her a weak smile, feeling her relax somewhat in the palm of his hand. If only he had been less selfish with his own wants and desires maybe he could have seen this happening, and then, maybe, stopped it from happening. Whatever _it_ was.

Baby Tooth chirped softly, looking up at Jack mournfully, then slowly at the others. She calmly floated up, away from the pleasant coolness of Jack's hand, taking a deep breath before she began. It was like a complicated game of charades, trying to guess what she was saying. Without the Fairy Queen present to translate, it turned out to be a rather difficult task in trying to understand the miniature fairy. It took some aggravating minutes to figure out what she was saying, but it eventually came down to Sandy understanding and then translating for the others since he was use to other forms of communication. His sand images came up panicked at first and then the other Guardians had to take a moment to calm him down enough to fully understand what he was saying. Or rather, not saying.

The moment North had deduced where his fellow Guardian was, he erupted with a new purpose. He knew where Tooth was! He didn't need to know more than that!

"TO THE SLEIGH!" He boomed once again. Grabbing his sabers and large red coat, he charged forward towards the elevators once again, completely ignoring Bunnymund's protest that his tunnels would be faster. "YETIS. PREPARE SLEIGH FOR IMMEDIATE TAKE OFF. NOW." His accent seemed to be growing thicker as he barked orders. His thick, fluffy brows knitted together as a rage began to boil within him. If someone had hurt one of his friends then they would live to regret it, that was for sure!

The Yetis and the Elves seemed to be the only ones making noise as the group of Guardians made their way down to North's sleigh. There was a grim silence that seemed to settle over the group as each of them fell once again into their own fearful thoughts. 'What if' was the worst question that was going through each of their minds; each one of them instantly going to the worst imaginable scenario.

Each of them scrambled into the sleigh and without much delay and some protest of a few of the Yeti's that acted as the sleigh's mechanics, they were off! Usually North would entertain them (and show off a bit) with some loop-de-loops and other sleigh acrobatics, but at the moment he had only one thing in mind: get to Toothianna's palace without further interruption.

As soon as the vehicle left the rickety old runway, the magical reindeer pulling the contraption forward with all their might, Nicholas St. North pulled out an ever trusty snow globe from within his coat pocket. The mystical orb was filled with thousands upon thousands of snowflakes, their magic waiting patiently to be told where the user would like to go. With a small grunt, old man Christmas brought the globe close to his lips, whispering the name of the grand Tooth Place before tossing it into the ocean of air. Immediatly a whirlpool cracked open the sky, seemingly large enough and powerful enough to engulf a small building and more.

Nicholas glanced back over his shoulder at his fellow Guardians and Baby Tooth, who had perched quietly on Jack's shoulder. Light blue eyes met with each of their own gazes. His saw their worried expression and felt a weight on his heart. For their sakes and his own he hoped with all his heart that nothing had gone wrong and that this was really just a false alarm and that once they got there the ever energetic and kind tooth fairy would be there to greet them with that fantastic smile of hers.

_If he saw that then he would know everything would be fine._

Without a second thought he turned forward and squared his shoulders, bracing himself for a reality he must face. Raising his arms he lashed the reins, ushering his magnificent reindeer forward and into the magical portal before him. It took no more then a second for the sleigh and it's crew to be tossed through. They arrived on the other side as the portal closed abruptly behind them to a very peaceful Tooth Palace. Nothing seemed wrong or out of place, not like the last time they had arrived here in the same fashion.

Jack leaped up onto the side of the sleigh, gripping his staff in his right hand, brow wrinkling as he glance around, searching for whatever had upset the tiny baby tooth that sat upon his shoulder. As he was about to open his mouth to ask said Baby Tooth about what was going on but mini-fairy leapt up from his shoulder then and dove into the sky, rushing past North's Reindeer and towards the palace before them. Jack glanced briefly over at the large white-haired man controlling the sleigh before he had to suddenly grip onto the wooden sides as North propelled them forward giving chase to the mini Tooth replica. A small garbled scream and claws digging into fine wood could be heard emanating from behind them. Probably from Bunnymund. The pooka still didn't care much for the sleigh.

They raced forward and busted into the Tooth Palace at top speed only to find... that everything was in normal working order. Millions of mini fairies flew about the palace doing their usual daily business. A few took noticed of the crew flying in, surprised to see the entire group of Guardians suddenly bust in unexpected, but upon seeing Baby Tooth, Tooth's second in command, leading them forward, most of them decided to continue with their own affairs. Of course, there were a few that upon spotting Jack Frost in the sleigh swooned and sighed, glad to see the winter spirit after their six months of not seeing him.

The sleigh slowed to a definite stop. The large vehicle would not be able to maneuver in this kind of crowd, and to get the fairies to stop what they're doing and clear a path would be next to impossible without Toothianna's help and her physic link that she had with each and every fairy.

"I'm going to go ahead!" Jack suddenly informed the others. He leapt from the sleigh, allowing the wind to catch his form as he ignored the protest from his fellow Guardians. Tooth had done so much for him during the battle with Pitch. Her kindness was a heaven-sent gift for him after three-hundred years of loneliness. He could hardly bear to give that up and he could hardly bear to see her hurt. He didn't know what it was about the hummingbird-hybrid but every part of him wanted to see her and he wanted to see her safe and happy.

Baby Tooth, who had stopped as well when she saw the problem before them, chirped happily at the winter spirit. She knew her Queen needed help and she needed help now. The fact that it was Jack Frost who was the first to step forward to dive into the sea of mini-fairies with her made her ruffle her feathers with glee. As much as she had a small girlish crush on the mischievous boy, she knew that her Queen held some deeper feelings for him as well. Surely it would make Tooth extra glad to see that he was the first one to come to her rescue; like a knight in shining armor!

With a second of eye contact and a small, firm nod, the two dashed froward, weaving and bobbing through the crowds of mini-fairies with grace. It didn't take long before they got through the thick of it. Baby Tooth began to lead him lower and lower, nearer to the ground. At first, Jack felt confused, but then an unusual splash of teal and blue caught his eye. He slowed down and landed softly on the floor, much to Baby Tooth's chagrin.

What he saw made his heart stop dead. It was a feather. One of Tooth's feathers. Gulping he slowly bent down, picking it up delicately, watching as frost begun to weave onto the object. _'Why was...' _His thoughts slowly trailed off as his gaze lifted, looking farther along the ground. There, not two feet away was another set of feathers; one small and one large. His throat went dry.

"T-Tooth..." His mind felt numb but his feet seem to know what to do. He slowly began to move forward, barely conscious of Baby Tooth's chirping in his ear. He began to pick up pace, after the trail of feathers at his feet. They began to show more frequently as they lead him through a long golden pathway, large towers looming over them like stone guards. As the feather count increased the amount of mini-fairies that filled the air began to decrease. It wasn't long before he had to screech to a stop. Before him stood a large golden door that stood nearly seven feet tall. It was decorated with multi-coloured jewels and gems, each one of them, he was sure, worth a fortune. Gold door knobs shined gracefully, showing off their delicate designs. He would have loved to stop and stare at the masterfully made door before him but his attention was drawn else where at that moment.

Before the door laid a rather large and alarming amount of gold, teal, blue, and a few pink feathers. They seemed to wither as they sat there before him.

"TOOTH!" Jack cried, his voice hitching in his throat. He reached forward, grabbing ahold of the door knob and yanked the large door opened. He was mildly surprised that they didn't seem to weigh very much, but he pushed that wayward thought quickly to the back of his mind as he plunged himself into the foreboding dark room that now laid open before him.

"Tooth? TOOTH? Too - ?!" As soon as his voice begun it fell dead in his throat. It had taken a moment or two before his eyes had adjusted to the dark room; only a thin trail of moon light was there to help illuminate the objects inside. Jack had glanced around briefly, semi taking note of the simple furniture that had adored the room. Two main things had caught his eye, though: the rather large, probably larger than a king size four-post bed that sat proudly in the middle of the room, and, strangely enough, a young woman who was seated in the center of the rug covered floor. Sobs seemed to rack her tiny frame as she sat there, her back to the winter spirit. Feathers surrounded her on the floor, a few of them dancing in the wind from the seemingly open patio door that was on the other end of the room.

She was beautiful and she seemed to glow in the moon light.

Which and all fine and dandy except for one detail.

_**One very minor but very BIG detail.**_

She was completely _naked_.

Naked as in bare body, no clothes, sitting there in what you were born in **_naked_**.

"Uh... erm... uh..." Jack sputtered out, all traces of thought seeming to abandon him at this critically time. There was a naked, crying woman before him and he had no clue, not in his three-hundred-and-eighteen-years of life, what to do. His cheeks began to burn as brightly as the fabled Rudolph's nose.

As soon as the awkward sounds left his lips, the woman turned slowly, her eyes quickly falling on the teen standing at her doorway. She left out a sharp and very audible gasp; small arms flailing about in attempt to cover her naked form. Eyes in shades of pink and purple widen in silent shock and - indeed - embarrassment as they locked with Jack's ice blue gaze.

"T-t-t-tooth...?!" Jackson Overland Frost stuttered, finally recognizing the woman before him, but only because of her eyes. Those were Tooth's eyes. A pair of eyes he could never forget. A pair that could say everything and nothing at all in an instant and that always left him fascinated.

That was Tooth on the floor.

_Naked._

**_Very naked._**

"I-Wha-How-?" His mouth really did not want to work that night. One moment he was scared to death thinking that Tooth was in mortal danger or - or worse, and the next he was standing in a dark room with someone who _was _Tooth but wasn't at the same time. Or was she? He wasn't quite sure at the moment. Plus she was naked. Oh, so very naked. It would be a understatment to say now that his face was as red as a tomato.

And really, things would have gone a lot smoother if Tooth - was she really Tooth? - hadn't started to scream then. This woman began to yell at him to get out and Jack, well, he was more than happy to oblige. If only his feet would feel the same. He stumbled back, falling over his own two feet and possible his staff, trying to raise his hands in silent apology as his eyes darted left and right trying to look every else. He didn't trust his voice anymore.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, one might say! As soon as he dashed out of the room, wincing at the screams that still echoed in his ears, his collar was suddenly caught by a pair of furry paws. In a flash he was yanked from the floor and shoved - rather hard - against the wall that stood next to the door. Suddenly he was face to face with a pair green eyes of a rather large and angry pooka.

"Frostbite! Wha' the 'ell have ye done?!" Bunnymund raged, his paws firmly holding the frost spirit up off the ground, seeming to tremble as if he would suddenly swing a fist at the young teen's face.

"Wha- I!" Jack argued, his face still burning, "I didn't do anything! I went in there thinking something - something horrible had happened and then there... uh, there she was... and... uh..." Once again his voice failed him as the fresh memory sprung forward in his mind. He really wished his face would not feel so hot.

"Why I 'aught-a..." The Guardian of Hope began, but was quickly silenced by a deep booming voice.

"Bunnymund!" North stood behind and to the right of the pooka, his blue eyes flashing with warning. "Bunnymund. Put Jack down." His voice was commanding but soon his gaze softened as he slowly looked towards the room; the door still slightly ajar from Jacks abrupt exit.

"Bunnymund. Jack. Stay here." The older Guardian directed. "Sandy. With me. I believe I know what is problem." He glanced down briefly at the Sandman before striding forward into the room before him.

Sandy nodded, a knowing look flashing on his face before he turned and peered at the other two Guardians. He gave them a small, reassuring smile and with his enchanted sand, gave them a small 'thumbs up' sign before, he too, disappeared into the room.

The door closed loudly behind them and all that was left was Jack Frost and E. Aster Bunnymund to stand in it's wake, both slightly confused.

**A/N: Oh my! What is going on here? *insert evil laughter***

**Anyways! If you see any grammar and/or spelling errors! Please inform me! I was to grow as a writter!**

**And thank you, as always, for reading!**

**~KerutheBlue / water-doragon**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update this! I've been super sick lately! I want to thank every one of you that has reviewed/read/ and favorite my story! You don't know how happy that makes me feel!**

**Anywas, enough with the excuses! On with the show!**

Toothiana's mind went a mile a minute as she slowly began to realized what had just occurred. _'Oh no, no, no, __**no**__, __**no**__! Oh dear! Oh my! Oh my goodness!'_ One minute she had mourn the loss of her feathers; her beautiful plumage! And then the next moment without so much of a knock, Jack, _the_ Jack Frost, came bursting into her room! And she... she had just been sitting there... in the _nude_ none-the-less! Truth be told she felt sorry for the winter spirit. She had completely freaked out on him the moment her mind had begun to work again, but who wouldn't? When a handsome young winter spirit just waltz into your room and you're nude and - okay, _maybe_ she was the only one who would freak out like that.

_'I can't believe I just... just yelled at him like that!'_ She berated herself, slowly crawling over to her large bed. Fumbling, she latched onto the silk sheet that covered said bed and yanked it off with much effort. Her body felt weak; drained from her crying and from the sudden physical change.

She was still beating herself up, her body now wrapped up firmly in the blanket, when the door opened for the second time that day. Magenta eyes widening and she meekly glanced over her shoulder to see who it was. The large figure stood for a moment in the door way, his silhouette dark.

"Tooth." His voice was like a gentle rumbling; a voice that sounded like it would be owned by a father or grandfather. Tooth felt terribly relieved as she saw him enter, her eyes adjusting to the stark contrast of bright light flooding from behind him and the darkness of the room. Tears began to well up into her eyes once again, but she refused to let them fall.

"N-north!" Her voice came as a hush, cracking a bit at the end. The emotional turmoil that she was going through was getting the better of her and she hated herself for it.

Suddenly she remembered how she looked; sitting there crumpled on the floor with a blanket wrapped haphazardly around her small body, the sheet still somewhat hooked on the bed."A-ah, what are you doing here?" She gave him a gentle smile, not really sure if he could see it in the barley moonlit room. Trying to save her dignity she held the blanket closer to herself as she made a feeble attempt to boost herself onto her bed. Unfortunately her arms were much too weak so she had to surrender to sitting on the floor.

North hummed a little in answer, stepping into the room. Following him was Sandy, his golden figure seeming to carry a light of his own. The Sandman offered her a little wave, worry settling on his usually happy face. He entered the room as well in his usual quiet way, shutting the door quickly behind the two.

"Oh, Sandy... You're here too." Tooth returned the smile, trying to fool her two oldest friends, though she knew it was in vain. She began steeling herself, knowing that she was in a bit of trouble with the two. She felt like a child, for moon's sake! Just sitting there on the floor watching as the two men entered quietly; North going to sit on the bed to her right as Sandy floated over to stand before her.

"Toothiana," North usually used a cute nickname when talking to her, but using her full name like this brought her to a cringe, making her feel like an adolescent again. It had been decades since she had felt like that!

"Would you care explain?" He tone held a mixture of amusement and warning. She knew that he _knew_ what had happened and he was giving her the chance to, at least somewhat, redeem herself and to hold up her fraid dignity.

"O-oh, y'know..." Tooth began, running her hand through her hair. She startled herself when she semi-realized that her head, which was usual covered in a crown of feathers, was now covered in a sleek waterfall of hair. How long had it been since she had a head of hair like this? She hardly remembered what it felt like. She felt like she was in the body of another. She wasn't herself anymore. She wasn't Toothiana, the Fairy Queen. But yet... yet she was. Oh, it felt so foreign!

She cleared her throat quickly, realizing that she had left a small gap of silence as she pondered about her new looks. "Well, y'know..." She began again, soon trailing off once again as she felt at a lost for words. She knew what she had to say. She knew what they wanted to hear, but her pride was beginning to get in the way. She didn't want to admit she had been defeated. By herself, no less! Really, she was fine. She really wanted to say that but her stomach cringed and her cheeks felt wet, telling her otherwise.

"You got stressed. So stressed, in fact, that this happened." The Guardian of Wonder's voice broke the silence. When Tooth glanced up at him, startled to hear his voice, she saw that he was looking forward, his usual bright blues darkened with thought. But that darkness didn't stay long as the older man blinked, slowly turning his head towards the tooth fairy, a small smile landing on his lips. "Toothie," His voice was very soothing as he reached over, brushing her cheek with one large hand. "Tell us what happened."

That was it. That was enough to break down every barrier, every wall she had put up. She, the Queen of the Fairies, a Warrior in both body and soul, broke down the second she heard his soothing words. North was like a father, a brother, a grandfather, and a dear friend to her. She trusted him with everything she had and he never, ever let her down. She couldn't be the brave soul she always thought she was in front of this gentle giant.

Tears fell in heavy streams down her cheeks. She bit her lip, trying to stifle a cry as she quickly laid her head upon his lap. His heavy hands quickly came to her head, caressing her top in a calming matter as he waited for her to finish her much-needed cry.

Sandy, who had just stood silently to the side as he usual did, floated forward this time, wrapping that small woman in his arms from behind.

The three of them stayed that way for a few minutes until Toothiana found herself calming, a feeling of relief settling down on her as the last tear was shed from her eyes. She slowly sat up, giving both of her fellow Guardian's a genuine smile of thanks. She had needed that cry, desperately.

"Well," The former fairy began, her still purple orbs turning to the floor as a new wave of shame washed over her. "Well, you're right... as always, North. I let stress get the best of me. Sorry." She let out a small, defeated sigh before glancing up slowly at Sandy who only gave her a reassuring smile and shrug, and then at North who was giving her the same smile as Sandy. "I should have asked you guys for help when you offered it to me. I just... I just didn't think that there would be an influx of teeth! It happened so suddenly and I thought... I thought I could handle it on my own. You guys seemed so busy, too! I... I didn't want to bother anyone." Relief settled over her as her confession came out as a flood of words.

"Do not worry, dear Toothie." The older man said gently, patting her on the shoulder softly, being mindful of her human form now. "Though, I do wish you had asked for help." He admitted, is smile turning sad as he studied her for a moment or two.

Out of nowhere he suddenly proclaimed, his voice getting louder than it had been a second ago:"We will take care of you! For now, you rest!" He stood up, a new energy of determination flowing through his old bones now. An idea had stuck him! He knew what to do! He had a plan!

"Sandy!" He turned quickly to the Master of Dreams, a large grin engulfing his face. "Go to my workshop, find Steward - yes, that Yeti - and get him to gather clothes for Toothie! I have great idea!" He let out a jolly laugh, reaching into his red coat and pulling out another enchanted snow globe. He examined it for a moment, his blue eyes flickering with amusement before he leaned forward and whispered his workshops name. He loft it at the wall, watching with another laugh as a magical portal cracked opened before them, this time a lot smaller than the previous one had been.

The Sandman, who had given the old gentleman a raised brow in curiosity as he let his hug go on Tooth, only smiled softly as he realized North was not about ready to give away his plan yet - at least not to him. He gave him a small nod, accepting his role, and before he left into the gaping portal, gave Tooth a small pat on the shoulder. He cared a lot for the little fairy and was willing to take part in any harebrained schemes that North had concocted, only if it meant that Tooth would be happy again.

Toothiana, in the meantime, was left sitting there in a very bewildered state. Her eyes were large as she looked up at North's towering figure before glancing over at Sandy as he disappeared through the portal. _What were they planning? _

She had intended to voice that question when The Guardian of Wonder interrupted her with a much stronger, excited clap to the back. "Toothie! I will be back!" Whatever had exhilarated the old Guardian, Tooth realized, she was not about to find out anytime soon. North stomped out of the room, small chuckles exploding from his lips as he heaved the door opened, exited, and closed the door with a hearty 'thud'.

Tooth was left by her lonesome to ponder what just happened.

Meanwhile, outside the door Jack and Bunnymund had eventually separated. Aster had taken it upon himself to stand guard in front of the door, his green eyes flashing warning as he glanced occasionally at the teen who sat off to the side curled up with himself. The pooka was not about to let Jack inside again but he was beginning to feel worried for the poor kid. He had a bit of an idea what might have happened, what with North's reaction and everything, but the puzzle pieces weren't fitting together yet. Well, whatever had happened it looked like the frost kid was having an inner battle with himself.

And that was exactly what Jack was doing. He felt terribly guilty now that the metaphorical dust had settle. His mind kept replaying the events, making him relive it over and over. His cheeks felt so warm and his heart thumped heavily in his chest that he could barely stand it anymore. He could hardly breathe and his thoughts were working overtime, crippling him from doing much more than sit there on the cold hard floor.

_'I can't believe I just did that!' _He scolded himself, ruffling his already messy white hair. _'Just walk in on her like that! I'm sure I was taught better than that... To at least knock!' _He paused for a moment, mid thought as he glanced up, looking over at Bunnymund, who was at this moment looking elsewhere. _'But we did think she was in trouble... So maybe I didn't do such a bad thing?' _He was trying to reason with himself, to settle the guilt that filled him now. The moment he tried to allow to forgive himself his mind only responded with a replay of the events, of course, mostly focusing on the more embarrassing ones.

To say the lease him went back to scolding himself, running through an endless cycle of thoughts about what had just happened when the door suddenly opened and a very jolly North stepped out.

Bunnymund had to quickly side-step out-of-the-way so he wouldn't be squashed by the large door. "O-oi! Wha' the 'ell is goin' on 'ere!"

North turned to the pooka with a wide smile, a large hand landing on his furry shoulder. "Worry not, Bunny! Toothie's fine! It's just... y'know, stress!" He informed, letting out another small laugh, seeming to be amused by his own private joke.

Aster raised a fluffy brow, letting the information sink in. Once it had he let out a less than eloquent 'oh' as he finally understood all the events that had just passed.

"Stress? What does that mean?" It was Jack's voice that pipped up now. The young winter spirit had hopped up to his feet once the door had swung opened and now he strode forward, clinging to his staff with a worried expression. He knew what stress was, obviously, but it _obviously _meant something very different to the Guardians. A lot of things seemed to mean something very different to the Guardians, he was learning. All these little rules here and there. It was so hard to follow sometimes!

North turned then, he blue eyes lighting up as if he was a child on christmas morning once he laid his gaze down on the winter spirit. "Jack!" He cried, another smile taking over his features. "Jack, Jack, Jack! Talk! We must!" His arm large quickly encircled the teen, wrapping snuggly around his shoulder as he quickly shepherd him forward and away from the Pooka, ignoring any protest that might be made.

E. Aster Bunnymund was left once again in confusion. He frowned, tapping a foot in annoyance at being left in the dust once again before turning his gaze over at the large doors behind him. Now he understood what was going on.

Jack, however, had no freakin' idea what was happening. And it was beginning to happen all too quickly! He staggered forward, letting the older Guardian lead him away from the door, down a long, golden pathway that seemed to tilt on a downward angle, before turning a sharp corner to what seemed like a semi-secluded area. Only a few baby teeth flew by, seeming to use this spot as a short-cut to get to whatever destination they might be heading towards. A few of them had stopped upon seeing the winter spirit, sighing happily and openly swooning over him. They would, of course, shoo-ed off as soon as they caught North's stern gaze. It wasn't long before they were completely alone, no baby teeth daring to interrupt their private conversation.

"Jack, have seat." North instructed, ushering him over to some gilded chucks of cement, seeming to be once part of the structure of the palace. Jack had noticed that there were areas of the rather large palace that were falling apart, but most of them seemed to be in hidden areas where the eye usually didn't look and people rarely went.

Jack nodded slowly, taking a seat where he was told to. He watched the old russian man warily, unsure what to expect. "So... Are you going to tell me what's going on or what?" He tried to make his tone light, to brighten the mood slightly. He wasn't sure how to handle himself in this moment. Was North mad that he had... ehm, walked in on Tooth? He didn't think so with the way he had exited the room, _laughing_ of all things. "Is Tooth alright?"

North just smiled at him for a long moment, staring down at the smaller boy before he too took a seat next to him. He 'hummed' and 'hawed' for a few moments, looking a bit stumped as he opened his mouth to say one thing only to close it the next second, trying to organize his thoughts. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, he spoke: "Jack, do you understand what stress does to a person?"

The Guardian of Fun was a bit caught off guard by his sudden question. Well, yes, of course he knew what stress did to people, but he held off that answer, feeling that North was asking more than he was saying. Lucky for him he didn't really have time to answer.

"Stress," Nicholas continued, staring forward as if he was reading from some invisible text in front of him, "Does strange things. It often causes illness, reduces sleep, make someone depressed and plenty other things! But that is to humans! To us! To us Guardians!" At this, he gestured to himself and then quickly pointed to Jack next to him, turning his body towards the teen, "To us Guardians, it to can do strange things as well!" He huffed, slowly turning away from Jack once again, appearing to lose himself in his own thoughts.

"So... are you saying stress... Well, that's what happened with Tooth?' Jack prompted, curious now where the older spirit was heading with this.

North slowly nodded, turning his head towards Jack. His face was set with a serious expression and he sat there, studying the boy for a moment before continuing. "You see, Jack. When Guardian get stressed they change. Usually physically. _Usually_," He waved his hands, "Usually little stress is alright. But **BIG** stress! Big stress is no good and that is what changes us! You saw Bunny from before, da? When children stopped believing in him?"

That, Jack could never forget. He was shocked when the smaller version of the easter bunny had hopped out of the sleigh that day. A small smile spread across his lips as he chuckled at the memory, especially when Bunny had the balls enough to attempt to fight him. That was, of course, before he found out that it was Jack that had saved him from disappearing all together.

"So are you saying that if Bunnymund gets stressed enough he converts into that smaller form?" He chuckled again at the idea of it, "And," He turned a bit more serious here. His feet suddenly got more interesting as a small blush creeped onto his features. "And Tooth, um... what do you call it? _Molts_? Well, when she's stressed?"

"Exactly!" North boomed, clapping him on the back, knocking the teen forward a bit. He was proud of the winter spirit for picking it up so quickly. His usual jolly expression turned serious once again as he leaned forward, resting his large hand on Jack's thin shoulder. "Exactly." He repeated, "So that means we need to make Tootie un-stressed in order to get her back!"

Jack blinked a few times, caught off guard by his fellow Guardian's sudden seriousness and general closeness. Even after six months of being part of the Guardians he was still not use to everyone's mannerisms. Especially North's. He seemed rather touchy and that was not something the spirit was use to - especially after being left alone for nearly three hundred some odd years. "Uh... get her 'un-stressed'? How do we do that?"

The question seemed to set the man ablaze. He jumped up, laughing as he pointed a stubby finger at Jack. "You! You will un-stress her!" He replied, chortling at his own genius. This was a great plan! A fantastic plan that would be fool-proof and work brilliantly! "You, Jack Frost! Guardian of Fun! You will bring joy to Tooth and make her stress free!" He placed his hands upon his hips, thrusting his chest forward as if he had just announced the best plan in the world. "Good idea, no?"

Jack just sat there in a daze, dumbfounded by the suggestion. He? Bring joy to Tooth? Well, of course he could bring joy to her, but... un-stress her? Was that even the correct term? He wasn't even sure at the moment. He wasn't even sure about anything at the moment. Especially North's plan.

"Wha - ? How am I suppose to do that?" Jack protested, jumping to his feet. He clung to his staff as though it was the only thing that held him to life. How was he even suppose to see her again after... after _that_ had happened? Butterflies were still roaming around his inner as even the mere thought of seeing her entered his mind.

It was North's turn to be dumbfounded. Being taller than the frost spirit, he bent down slightly at the waist, coming to eye level with him. "What do you mean, _how_? You are Guardian of Fun! Fun is your center! And how do people combat stress?" He question, his lips tugging into a small smile as he poked Jack in the chest once again. "By having fun, of course!"

Jack stumbled back at his poke, grimacing a bit since North didn't seem to know how to control his own strength from time to time. Sometimes he could be as gentle as a teddy bear, others, he could be as strong as an ox. "Well, yeah... I get that, but..." He trailed off, unable to bring himself to say more.

"Jack, do not sweat small stuff!" Nicholas St. North proclaimed, roping Jack in his arms once again as he began to guide the teen back towards where they came. "You will do fine! And you will not be alone! Bunnymund, Sandy and I will come to help when needed!"

"W-wait, _'come to help'_? You mean you're leaving me alone to do this?" Jack sputtered, trying to dig his heels into the ground to stop their progress. Unfortunately for him North was much stronger and didn't seem to take heed that Jack had wanted to stop.

"Well, yes." He mused, nodding slightly to himself. "It is now fall so I have much to work on. Sandy has twenty-four hour job, no? And Bunny, well he gets fussy about his flowers and whatnot around this time of year. It falls down to you to do this, Jack."

"B-but!" Jack protested again, "But I also have work to do!"

"Jack! Much of world is in the midst of fall and spring, no?" North smiled a little as he noticed Jack's meek nod from the corner of his eye. "You have free time then, da? Anyways, with your know-how of fun, Toothie will be back to her old self in no time!"

Jack fell silent at this statement. He knew he had the free time to do this task, and he was pretty sure he could do it... It's just... he was a bit afraid to face Tooth again. He couldn't help beating himself over and over for it. They hadn't even been friends that long and he goes off and does something stupid like this!

"Jack." North said suddenly, stopping when the view of the door and the ever vigilant Bunnymund just came into view. "Tooth needs your help." He let that statement stand, eyeing the boy in his arms for a brief moment before letting go of him and continuing forward on his own. He knew Jack would do the right thing. He believed in the boy with all of his heart. And, of course, his plan was the greatest thing since sliced bread! Nothing could go wrong!

Gulping, the Guardian of Fun let North's words sink it. It stuck a cord with him, making him realize the obvious. Tooth _was_ his friend. A _dear_ friend at that and he had the ability to help her out. So why wouldn't he? He was three hundred and eighteen years old! He was mature enough to put that little incident past him.

With a small calming breath, Jack jogged slightly to catch up to the taller man. They both approached the door way, catching the attention of E. Aster Bunnymund.

"So? You tell 'im what's what?" Bunnymund raised himself from leaning on the door, seeming to have been there the whole time. He glanced down at Jack, raising a brow in question.

"Yeah, North told me 'what's what'." Jack replied, a devious smirk crossing his lips as he extended his staff, poking the pooka a bit in the tummy. "He told me you turned into a mini stuffed kangaroo when you're too stressed!" He chuckled a bit, yanking his staff back quickly as Bunnymund let out a low growl, swatting at said staff.

"'Ey! That rarely happens, mate!" Bunnymund argued, giving him another warning growl. "An' how many times do I have to tell ya? I'm a _**bunny**_!" It was the same ol' argument ever time, but the pooka couldn't help but feel a bit happy on the inside. Earlier the frost kid had not been acting like himself and with just a minute alone with North he was back to his old spunky self. He gave a small glance over at the Guardian of Wonder, ever grateful to have a leader like him.

North smiled lightly, waving the two bickering boys away from the door. He knocked lightly, leaning his head against the wooden door. "Toothie? Toothie, you in there? Can we come in?"

It was quiet for a moment before a small voice replied. "U-uh, sure North! Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your... fashion choices."

Curious now, North swung the door opened, entering as the other two Guardians followed suit.

There in the middle of the room - which now was alighted with a few candles here and there, as well as the curtains drawn apart to let the full moon light in - was Toothiana. It was the first time Jack was able to get a good look at her in her new form. He knew she was a petite girl, but in this form and this, well, outfit, she looked even smaller than normal. Tooth skin was now a shade of cocoa, though her cheeks seemed to be flushed pink at the moment. He hair was an inky black, wavy with life, and it fell just past her shoulders. She was dressed in a rather large - too large for her - red and white christmas sweater adored with little hand-sewed reindeer that danced across the belly of the sweater. He sleeves hung longer than her arms and the thing seemed to swallow her whole. It was more of a dress then a sweater, falling down around her knees. On the other hand her bottom seemed to be clad in black tights and her tiny feet were left bare, toes wiggling freely. A rather satisfied Yeti stood just to the right of Tooth, looking rather pleased at its job while Sandy stood to her left, looking a bit worried.

"Ah! Toothie! You look wonderful!" North charged in, tackling her in one of his famous bear hugs. After a moment he let her go, although still grasping her shoulders in his hands. "Hmmm, seems as though this sweater is bit big on you, no?"

Tooth rolled her eyes slightly at the comment. North was very good at stating the obvious. "Yes, a bit. And I am grateful for the clothes, but maybe we can find something... more in my size?" She didn't want to be rude. She was thankful that he - well, rather Sandy and Steward the Yeti - were able to find these clothes on such short notice, but she had rather hoped for something that fit her. She never kept any clothes here since this occurence happened very rarely, if not never. And it wasn't like she needed them in her fae form anyways. They seemed to be a waste of space to keep!

"Ah," North chuckled, "Do not worry! I will have more clothes made for you! In your size! But first I have good news!" He grasped her around the shoulder as he tended to do with people, moving aside so that she could see both Bunnymund and Jack who still stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"Jack, my friend will be staying with you and helping you to become," Here he gave a dramatic pause, although it seemed to be in the wrong place, "Stress free!" He announced, grinning like a fool. He was proud of this plan like he had stated before, even though very few seemed to be.

The reactions were quite comical and they happened in this order: Bunnymund sputtered, Sandy clapped silently, and Jack gave an abashed wave. And Tooth, well Tooth just stood there silently, eyes wide with shock. She and Jack? Alone? Well, it would be a lie to say she wasn't freaking out and cheering at the same time inside her head.

A moment of silence filled the room before Tooth could regain her senses enough to speak. "W-what? I mean, that's nice and all, but really, I can take care of myself." She looked up at North who now wore an expression of disappointment. She suddenly felt guilty for saying anything. "But, I mean... if he doesn't mind." Her voice was quiet as a blush began to creep up onto her face.

North disappointment quickly turned into glee. That was what he wanted to hear. "Good! Then it shall be done." He let go of his grasp on her shoulder, leaving her stumbling for a moment. "We will leave you and Jack to it then! Yetis should be here by tomorrow with clothes. For now, rest." He turned towards her, giving her a small smile before leaning forward and placing a warm kiss on her forehead. "Be well, Toothie." With that last good-bye he turned, leaving her once again in the giant room. The Yeti, sensing it was his cue to leave too, followed suit. Though, before he exited room completely, the Yeti lifted a small sack that it seemed to have carried and placed it into the winter spirit's hands.

Sandman, being the quiet spectator as he ever was, floated forward then, taking Tooth's hand in his own. He smiled, tipping a top hat made of dream sand off his head before leaning forward and kissing the top of her hand. Dreams sands formed images above his head, basically translating to: _'If you never need me, call, and I will be here.'_ He than gave her a cheeky grin and wink, before he turned and floated off after the man sometimes know as Santa.

Lastly, Bunnymund seemed to stand there for the longest, grumbling and arguing with himself under his breath. Finally he seemed to reach a consensus. He didn't like the idea of leaving the two alone like this but, begrudgingly, he knew he had other business to take care of. The flowers in his warren were at a sensitive time and he needed to be there. He looked Jack firmly in the eye, raising a suddenly drawn boomerang to the teen's face. "You better take care of 'er, Frostbite." He warn, before turning a softer gaze at Tooth. "An' you, Toothie," He began, stepping towards her before engulfing her in his arms in a massive hug. He wasn't much for affection, at least not to the other Guardians, but at this time it felt wrong not to hug her. She seemed so defenseless like this. "Take care, sheila. Call me if you EVER need me. I'm two taps of the foot away." He chuckled a bit at his own joke, releasing her from his hug. He studied her for a moment before turning and taking his leave, giving the frost child one last glare of warning.

That just left Tooth and Jack alone in the room together. An awkward silence fell between the two as they both seemed content with looking everywhere but each other.

"Um, y'know, Jack," Tooth began, breaking the silence as she absent mindedly played with the long sleeve of her sweater. "You don't have to stay. Really, I'm fine! I know North probably bullied you into doing this - N-not that North bullies anyone! N-no! He just has this way of... of convincing people to do things, and well, I don't want you doing things you don't want to!" She had meant it as a simple statement but it quickly spiraled out of control before she could stop herself. Tooth inwardly cursed, biting her lip to try to stop herself from anymore words spilling from her mouth.

Jack let out a small boyish chuckle, placing the red sack he had been given on the ground, temporarily ignoring it, before lifting his staff onto his shoulders as he shuffled from foot to foot. "No, North didn't 'bully' me into doing this Tooth, really." He was attempting to reassure her as he tried to remind himself that this was something that he wanted to do and not to be so embarrassed for no reason.

"Hey, I'm the Guardian of Fun, right? So what's best to fight stress but fun?" He repeated North's phrase, giving her a crooked smile while raising a brow at her, "So, I'm here to help you. Okay, Tooth?"

She could feel the heat raising to her cheeks once again as he gave one of his famous smiles. She returned his gesture with one of her own goofy grins, feeling a bit overjoyed at his proclamation. "Thanks Jack. I... I really appreciated it." She let out a giggle that would rivaled a school girl's. For moon's sake! She was too old to be acting like a love-sick puppy! But she couldn't begin to describe how incredibly happy she felt know Jack would be here, and just for her in fact! She felt like she could fly into the air and do a couple of somersaults! With wings or not!

Jack grinned, nodding as an idea hit him. He felt a little silly for saying this but the words seemed to dance from his lips before he could stop himself. "No worries. I just need you to believe in me. You think you care do that?"

Tooth giggled again, covering her mouth as she returned the nod, feeling the warmth of happiness filling her from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head. "Mmhm, I think so!"

_This was going to be an interesting few days._

**A/N: I don't know why but this was a hard chapter for me to do. When I first wrote it, it seemed to go on and on! But when I re-read it I was actually generally pleased with it. I hope you guys enjoy it as well! (And I hope my writing isn't too wordy/boring!)**

**Oh! And if you were wondering, as a bit of a headcannon for this story, I imagine that if North gets stressed enough he turns into a frail, arthritic old man. As for Sandy? I'm not sure. I don't think he would ever get that stressed! He's just too awesome! :)**

**Also, I hope I'm keeping everyone in character! Please let me know if I'm not! Thank you for reading! :)**

**~KerutheBlue / water-doragon**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Blargh! I don't know why but I'm not a 100% happy with this chapter, but here you go! Take it! I'm more excited for the next chapter as well as the fifth chapter!**

**Oops~ Did I give too much away? -grin-**

An awkward silence had fallen between Jack and Tooth once again, both of them choosing to look at the furniture that decorated the room than each other. They were going to be spending a lot more time together and that idea both frighten them and excited the two.

"Well," Tootiana began, clearing her throat as she looked up at the winter spirit with a bashful expression."Unfortunately, since I'm all human now," She gestured at herself awkwardly, letting a small clumsy laugh, "I guess that means I should sleep at night? I do feel... somewhat sleepy." As if on cue she let out a small yawn, her hand shooting up to cover it quickly.

The moon was, indeed, very bright in the sky, sitting its climax. Jack let out a small chuckle at her action, trying to hide the fact that he had no idea what to do from this moment on. It had been years since he was... well, human. Though he had spent the last three hundred years people watching it didn't mean that he really knew or understood what they did and why they did it. Being immortal different things became important. He knew sleeping and eating was important to humans, that much he had seen, but knowing when they did it was another story.

"Yeah, I guess so?" He smirked playfully, shifting his weight over on his right side, leaning on his ever handy staff. As he leaned over his foot brushed the red velvet bag he had received from Steward the Yeti, silently remind him of its presence.

"Oh yeah..." Jack muttered under his breath, leaning down to retrieve the sack. He couldn't help his smirk that quickly turn into a grin as he noticed Tooth perk up before him, curious about what he had. Personally, he had no idea. It had been shoved in his hands without a word, but he was beginning to feel rambunctious; a need arose in him to release some tension during this awkward moment.

"I wonder what I have here...?" He asked no one in particular, turning away slightly from the former fairy as he pulled open the sack and stuck his head inside.

"What is that Jack?" Tooth asked, her purple eyes wide with curiosity. It was funny; sometimes she would begin to mimic a hummingbird: her movements would be quick and constant when she got excited like this. She stepped forward, her head tilting to the side as she tried to see what the young teen was holding.

Jack had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing; he had her! Hook! Line! And sinker! "Oh, y'know..." He waved her off, closing the bag once again, acting like whatever it was should have been obvious. "A bit of this and that."

A frown immediately crossed Tooth's face. She did not like being kept out of the loop. "A bit of what and what? What did North give you?" She inched forward, her small hand raising as she reached out to grab the bag. She knew that bag; it was definitely one of North's handiwork. It was a deep red, definitely made of velvet, and had golden thread stitched into the fabric creating a small pattern of snowflakes all away around the base. "I want to see!"

He could not stop the smile the captured his face as he held the bag up in the air, high above his head. "Hey, hey! Don't be so nosey, Miss Tooth!" He teased, happy that he was a good head taller than the female before him. "I believe this was given to _me_!" The winter spirit scoffed, sticking his nose up in the air in the most mock snooty way he could act.

The frown only deepen on Tooth's face. Normally she wouldn't care either way, but the way Jack was acting... It was beginning to kill her to find out what was in that bag! She moved even closer to him, now standing right in front of the boy. The apples of her cheeks began to flush at their proximity, but she felt determined to find out what he was hiding. "Jack! Show me!" With that, she hoped up on her tippy-toes, attempting to steal the sack from his hand.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" The trickster laughed, stretching his arm higher into the air. Keep-a-way. A simple, fun game. At least, for him. "I told you! This was given to _me_!" He watched as she jumped a bit, trying to grab the now prized bag. Another laugh escaped his lips as he danced back. He waved the red bag before him, sticking a cocky tongue out at her.

Tooth had quite enough! Her cheeks, which were once pink in embarrassment, were now red with frustration. "Jack!" That was her so-called battle cry before she leapt forward to grab at the bag. She knew this was childish, but really, now that she was human she couldn't help herself! ... That was a good excuse, right?

To her chagrin, he tip-toed out-of-the-way again. Usually she would have her wing to balance her out after said leap, but not being fully use to her simple human body, she had thrown too much weight into the attack and was now stumbling forward, towards the rather hard looking ground. Tooth slammed shut her eyes, her muscles cringing, waiting for the impact, but the impact didn't come. Instead, cold arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back from her near fall.

"Woah! Woah there!" Seeing her obviously over-judge the leap, the winter spirit had done what had seem like the right thing to do: catch her. He dropped the red sack with little care, as well as his magical staff. Both items fell with a loud clatter. No one needed the former fae bruised, or worse.

"You okay?" Jack asked, straightening her. He chuckled a little under his breath as she suddenly whirled around in his arms, a shocked expression on her face that just as quickly melted into one of embarrassment. He chided himself inwardly as he felt his cheeks and ears suddenly warm as he realized that he was holding her in his arms.

Toothiana's mind went blank as she stared at him. She was eternally grateful for him for saving her from that untimely fall, but she didn't quiet expect how... _nice _it would feel to have his arms around him. She would hardly admit to herself that she had a small crush on the winter spirit, but when she did she knew it must only because it was the brilliant teeth he had! Nothing more! If only she could she would stare at his teeth for the rest of her life... But she did not want to come off as creepy like that so she only stole a glance here and there. That first time, when she had prided open his mouth without warning was done without any thought! ...Really!

The seconds seemed to tick on as they just stood there in each other's arms, the former question completely forgotten.

Suddenly, like a wave, Tooth's mind kicked back into action as she realized what the two were doing. She was the Queen of Fairies, for Moon's sake! She had to stop acting so foolishly like this!

"U-um... I'm fine. Thank you." With an embarrassed laugh, she quickly stepped out of his grasp. Feeling his arms fall away from her waist made her heart ache slightly. It really did feel _nice_ to be in his nice cool embrace.

"U-um... Right. No worries." Jack replied just as eloquently. Remembering he had dropped his things, he quickly scooted away and picked up the two items. He smiled down at the sack before looking glancing over at Tooth, one brow raised slightly. "So, do you wanna know what's in here?" The teasing was back in his voice.

Tooth blinked, having forgotten about the item they had fought over a moment ago. She let out a small laugh, feeling embarrassed that they had acted so child-like over such a silly thing. She nodded, "Yes, please."

Jack joined her laugh, stepping forward as he pulled on the draw strings. It made the hole nice and big; big enough for the fairy to see inside. Deep inside the pouch was three enchanted snow globes, shinning with magic, waiting for their time to be used.

"Oh! Of course!" Tooth's tiny laugh from before exploded into more hearty giggles. She felt so silly for not figuring that out! Of course North would leave them some snow globes! "How did I not know that?" The giggles quickly turned into a full laugh; tickled by her own foolishness. She soon could hear the winter spirit's own deep laugh join her own. What children they had acted like!

The laugh they shared lasted for a while. Mostly on the account of them beginning to laugh at each other for laughing so hard, and then laughing at themselves and the silly way they laughed. Finally, the giggles and chuckles died down, both Guardians clutching their sides as their muscles twitched from the giggle-fest.

"O-oh... I really needed that laugh!" Tooth chuckled, though the laugh quickly turned into a yawn. Wow, she really did feel tired! Usually, as a Guardian and an immortal, one didn't need to sleep as much. Sleeping as more of a comfort thing, or something you did when you had really exerted yourself or, moon forbid, were injured. When was the last time she had slept? Four years ago? Had it really been that long?

Jack noticed her yawn as he wiped away a tear from his eye. He smiled weakly, "Bed time, I guess?" He shrugged a little, lifting his staff up upon his shoulders as he stuffed the sack into his hoodie's pocket. "I guess that's cue for me to leave?" He suddenly felt awkward again, not really sure what to do. He could go out and hang out with the baby teeth for a while, maybe? But he would probably distract them again as it seemed to be the usual case. Well, there was a few places near here he could visit that wouldn't be too hard on him, temperature wise. Of course he couldn't give them a snow day as much as he wanted, but that at least would give him something to do. How long did humans need to sleep anyways? It had been three hundred years since the last time he had a full night of sleep.

Toothiana perked up at this, an idea suddenly striking her. "Well," She began, brushing some hair behind her ears. Again, it startled her, having hair like this instead of feathers, but this time she just brushed the feeling aside. It would take her a while before she could get use to her human form. "Since you'll be staying here for a while, why don't I show you to your room?" She couldn't help but grin when she saw the shocked expression that dawned on his face. "I keep a few spare rooms - just in case." She informed him as she turned, heading towards the door.

Jack blinked a couple of times, nodding slightly to himself. "Makes sense." North did the same thing, keeping a few guest bedrooms at his work place. So why wouldn't the others? He followed her out the door, but they didn't get far when he saw her stop dead in her tracks, her head tilted up towards the air. Above them there was the usual cluster of fairies, but this time they had all stopped and they were all staring at Tooth. Right... Did they know about this?

"U-um... H-hello everyone." Tooth stuttered, her voice full of shame though it was loud as she stood firmly before her peers. She hated this. Hating to admit to her downfalls but she knew she had to get this over and done with. She winced as she looked around, catching each one of their pink gazes, feeling their questioning looks weigh down upon her. Her tongue felt dry in her mouth and she began to feel herself break down again, tears welling up again. No, she could not cry. Not again.

She was having trouble keeping her emotions in check as she searched her thoughts for the right words to use when a small little chirp caught her attention. Next to her right cheek was the little fairy dubbed Baby Tooth, her mis-matched eyes full of understanding. She had briefly remembered seeing the little fairy in her room earlier when North had entered, but from then she wasn't sure what had become of the little fae.

"Baby Tooth." She whispered, cupping the fairy in her hand. She held her little mini-me close to her cheek, feeling stronger as Baby Tooth hugged her. She slowly released her, giving the small fairy a nod before turning once again to her other self copies. She took a deep breath before continuing, steadying her nerves.

"As you all can see, this," She gestured to herself, her cheeks pinkening a little in embarrassment, "This has happened... again. I... I am really sorry to let you all down again, but I swear to you I will get better! And soon! You see, Jack is going to help me so I will be back to being myself in no time!" She felt confident in her words, the corner of her lips curling in a weak smile.

Jack smiled meekly, looking at the crowd as they continued to be quiet. He moved forward, placing a hand upon his friend's shoulder before address everyone before him, "Yeah! I promise Tooth will be back and better than ever in no time!"

With that final promise the swarm of fairies seem to alight with life once again. They chirped, happily, as most, if not all, flew down to surround and hug the two Guardians.

They were covered in a sea of fairies for what seemed like the longest time before Tooth could calm them down enough and send them off to work.

"Come on ladies! Back to work!" She chided although she couldn't contain a small laugh that followed. She felt bad for leaving her faeries in the lurch like this, but she knew they would be fine, especially with a second-in-command like Baby Tooth.

Speaking of Baby Tooth, the Queen of Fairies turn to her, a smile now dancing on her lips. "Oh yes! Baby Tooth! Do you think one of our guest rooms is available and ready to be used? Like I said, Jack will be staying with us!" She felt all warm and fuzzy on the inside when she announced this. Jack! He would really being staying with her! ...Well, them! Not just her! Um, but really, it would be nice to have the young Guardian around!

She was beginning to feel a bit better, like she could get through this 'human illness' in no time, when her heart drop. Baby Tooth was chirping away in front of her, replying to her previous question and she had no idea what the little one was saying. She bit her lip, hoping and praying that she was just not hearing her correctly. She brought her tiny hands together, grasping them tightly so they didn't tremble so much. "Um... Could you please repeat that?" She surprised herself at how tiny her voice sounded but she couldn't bring herself to speak any louder.

One moment she was feeling supreme and then next moment she felt the stress from before land heavily on her shoulders, bring her down to earth once again.

Baby Tooth paused, tilting her head to the side before she began again. Again all Tooth could hear was chirping. No words. The connection was gone. She could briefly remember this happening before, but why did this time leave her feeling so empty? Was it like this the last time? Tooth bit her lip, a tremble racking her whole body for a moment before she felt a cold hand, Jack's hand, fall upon her shoulder again. Blinking, she looked up at him, see concern written all over his pale features.

"Tooth...?"

She smiled weakly at him, letting the breath she did realize she was holding, go, as well as her hands. They were beginning to cramp at the way she grasp them together. "I, um, well... I can't hear her." She let out a small defeated sigh, turning her gaze over at Baby Tooth. The little fairy floated there silently for a moment before little out a small, sad chirp, flying towards her Queen's cheek again in a feeble attempt at a hug. She let out a weary laugh, wrapping a hand around Baby Tooth while placing her other hand atop of Jack's hand. "It's alright you two... I just forgot this happened."

Baby Tooth chirped sadly again before floating back. She gave her Queen a small nod before attempting to motion for the two to stay here. When she assumed the two had gotten it - well, Tooth had nodded to her at least - she flew off, back towards where Tooth's room lied and down another hallway a bit to the right.

Tooth smiled lightly, watching her little copy fly off before looking up at Jack. The winter spirit still hand his hand on her shoulder, and she still held said hand. She tilted her head slightly to the side, gazing up at him. He still held concern in his icy blue eyes. "It's okay Jack." She reassured, "It just caught me off guard. I'll be fine." She squeezed his hand at this point, her smile widening a bit, "I have you hear, don't I?" It something she needed to hear more than she needed to say.

Jack held her gaze, feeling his mouth go dry and his throat tighten. He had felt worried for his friend, but now seeing here standing there, looking so small but acting so brave, her couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for her. He already felt respect for the Tooth Fairy, knowing her job was a tiring one with little to no breaks. But now that he saw the strength of her will, his respect only grew.

He returned the smile with a crooked one of his own, giving her a small nod in response. His mouth opened to say more but their moment was cut short when Baby Tooth returned, chirping quickly as she gestured for them to follow.

His crooked smile suddenly widen as he watched Baby Tooth for a moment before removing his hand from Tooth's shoulder, "Lead the way." Jack said formally as he bent a bit at the waist while spreading an arm forward in an extravagant way. "Ladies first."

Tootiana let out a small giggle, cover her mouth in an old-fashioned way. He could be a real charmer sometimes. She turned and nodded to her second-in-command, following the little one as they ventured forth. They turned right from her room and walked a bit down the golden hallways, the smaller towers looming in closely around the pathway causing a shadow to fall all around them.

They came upon another door a moment later, this one not as fancy as the one that stood before Tooth's room. This door was more simple and was just made of a dark wood. It covered in a plethora of cravings, carvings that told a story. A depiction of a maiden trapped in a tower stood at the top left-hand side, her impossibly long locks flowing down towards the ground as a young man stood at the bottom, one hand reaching out towards her. On the top right was a carving of an old woman, her features twisted with a look of jealousy and rage, a dagger clenched in her hands. Below those two panels the picture suddenly turned into a scene of flight, the two lovers hand in hand with creatures of the forest chasing after them. In the midst of the creatures was the old woman from the top of the door. The story seemed to simply end there, the rest of the carving scratched out from years of use.

"Oh? This room? Perfect!" Tooth pushed opened the doors without a second of hesitation or a moment to appreciate the artwork that covered the door. The hinges creaked slightly. Inside the room was dark save for a few candles here and there. A patio was open to the right to let the cool night air flow though, allowing what little extra light it could since the moon sat on the opposite side of the palace at this time of night. There was already a small hoard of fairies floating about the room, removing very dusty sheets from the few pieces of furniture that adored the room. A chair and small desk here, a dresser over there, and a queen sized bed was all that filled this simple room.

The two Guardians coughed a little at the dust that picked up. It was a pretty sight, though, seeing the dust particles float in the light of the candles for a second before being picked up my the wind and taken away.

Baby Tooth went into sudden command mode then, fluttering forward and chirping out orders at a few of her sisters. The pace in which they were cleaning up the room seemed to double as they rushed around, gathering the dirty sheets and dashing off, hopefully to go clean them.

Jack had to be nimble to leap out-of-the-way of as couple of mini fairies flew in with a set of clean sheets. It took about ten of them, but within a minute the bed was set up and the room was officially ready.

Baby Tooth, proud of what she and her sisters were able to accomplished in no time flat, zoomed up to Jack, chirping all the while as she floated around his head.

The winter spirit chuckled, reaching out to give her a thankful pet on the head. "Thanks Baby Tooth. This will be perfect." He grinned slightly, glancing over a the group of mini fairies that still hovered in the room; they were really the ones who had cleaned up the place. "Thank you guys too!" He called over to them only to have to laugh the next second as a few of them blushed and giggles while a couple more actually fainted.

Tooth smirked, standing off to the side a bit. She knew her fairies were infatuated with the Guardian of Fun, but sometimes it was just ridiculous! Well, for now she was willing to let them have their moment, proud of them for stepping up like this and getting the room ready. It was a simple task but she was still proud of anything her little ones did. "Alright ladies," She interrupted, getting a few displeased 'sighs' and 'whines' from the few that guessed what was going to come next. "Time to get back to work. Thank you!"

A small laugh bubbled to her throat as each one of them left. Those cheeky fairies! Each one rushed over, giving Jack a small kiss or hug before rushing over to her and doing the same. They were gone before she could say anything more. She looked over at the teen next to her, her smile broadening as she noticed the shy look on his face. "Sorry about that." She said with a slight teasing tone in her voice, "They can't seem to get enough of you."

Jack merely chuckled back, running a hand through his messy hair. "What can I say?" He said as he flashed her his pearly whites, "It must be the teeth."

Another small giggle escaped her lips, amused by his response. Well, of course it was the teeth! But she was pretty sure they had a crush on him for a few other reasons.

"Well! Here! This will be your room for the duration of your stay!" Tooth gestured to the room. It had been a while since she had been in here but she liked this one best out of all her guest room, and it seemed to suit the boy beside her. In addition to the simple furniture the walls was covered in a dusty blue paint while white trim lined the ceiling and the floor boards. A little touch she thought was a simple design but in this moment all she could think of was how perfect this was for him.

"And," She added, glancing over at him with her own shy expression, "I'm only just down the hallway in case you need me."

Jack nodded vaguely, taking in the room. He had been distracted earlier by the mini fairies movements but now that he had a moment to take it all in it really was perfect. He never liked having too much to crowd him. Really, if it was his choice he would sleep in a tree with the moon and the stars as his ceiling and the grass as his carpet. But unfortunately there didn't really seem to be a tree around here for him to do that - at least he hadn't noticed one that would be perfect for him - and Tooth and the other fairies had already gone through all this trouble for him.

Lifting his staff casually on his shoulder, he stepped further in the room. "Thanks Tooth. This is great." He smiled, turning around as he tried to take it all again at this different angle. It felt... _nice_ to have a room to himself.

Tooth felt a warmth bubble up in her chest as she watched him. It was interesting to watch him sometimes. He seemed to fascinated by the simplest things and even the simplest gestures. She couldn't help the doopy grin that crossed her lips as she remembered the time six months ago when they had shared their first hug. She had been caught up in the excitement of it all - _again_, of course - and had tackled him in a big embrace. She was surprised and embarrassed even by her own actions, but seeing the genuine smile and the way his eyes had sparkled made it worth it. She had begun to swoon in his arms but luckily Baby Tooth had quickly interrupted their moment, saving her dignity. Even from the start the boy of Frost had made her seem like a love-sick fool.

Realizing she had just stood there for a good full minute of starring - _that the moon he didn't seem to catch her_ - Toothiana let out a small cough as she stepped backwards towards the door. "Well, I guess it's time for me to go to bed." She laughed a little uneasily; it felt so weird to say that. But she couldn't help the over whelming feeling of exhaustion that suddenly surprised her and took hold of her. It _had_ been a long and rough day. "Good night, Jack."

Jack paused in his viewing, looking over at the slowly retreating Tooth Fairy. "Ah, right. Good night and sleep tight, Tooth. Don't let the bed bugs bite!" He said, repeating an old phrase he remember from his past as he flashed her one of his usual crooked smiles.

She felt her heart flutter at the sight of the smile, her exit forgotten for a moment. She let out a small giggle, waving a little goodbye at him. Quickly realizing her foolishness she chided herself under her breath before realizing once again she was looking silly in front of the winter spirit. She gave him a small smile before ducking out, closing the door quickly behind herself. Jeez! What was it about Jack that made her act like a love-sick school girl and make her loose... loose her cool! She shook her head firmly at the thoughts, feeling her cheeks burn as she made haste back to her room.

The Guardian of fun chuckled under his breath, amused by the actions of the fairy before him. "This is definitely going to be an interesting few days." He said out loud to himself as he tilted his head towards the patio, catching glimpse at the bright stars that dotted the sky.

**A/N: Well, there you go! Some more awkward fluff! Hehe! Anyways, I have to add that original the fourth chapter and this one was suppose to be one chapter! But, well I just kept writing and writing and felt that if I added what had I planned for the rest of this chapter that it would be WAY too long! So I just had to split the two!**

**Oh well! That just means the fourth chapter is already started and that you guys may get it sooner than later. -cheeky wink-**

**Anyways, thank you for reading! See you again soon~!**

**(Time to go have fun with portals! Mwahahaha!)**

**KerutheBlue/ water-doragon**


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